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But the point remains that this isn't caused by climate change, it's just a regular monsoonal trough or somesuch science-talk.

It isn't "caused by" climate change, it is climate change. Climate change is defined as a significant pattertn of change in natural climate events; this is a significant pattern of change in natural climate events, trending upward. Yes, it is the product of natural processes, but the results are more extreme than what was expected, and this has been the case in multiple instances. Ergo, climate has changed. You can argue that it's slight, but it's still climate change.

Once in a great while it gets hotter than it's ever been since people started writing down the exact temperatures. That's normal.

It's also something we're wary of (and justifiably so), given what we know about the chemicals that we leak into the atmosphere and their potential effects on the environment. No scientist worth his ass will tell you that climate change is marked by a sudden and drastic shift in weather patterns overnight; this is exactly what we would expect to see if in fact the climate were changing, and so it's considered a noteworthy event for meteorologists and geologists.

"I'm sorry
For all the things that I never did
For all the places I never was
For all the people I never stopped
But there was nothing I could do..."

What about the phrase "record-breaking temperature spikes" is so hard to understand? Yes, it gets hot every year, nobody's saying heat itself is unnatural. But it's hotter this year than it has been since 1973, and it's hotter now than it was then. So no, this doesn't happen every year. We don't get record-breaking temperature spikes every year.

"I'm sorry
For all the things that I never did
For all the places I never was
For all the people I never stopped
But there was nothing I could do..."

Right, so it's hotter than it's been since whenever they started measuring, a century or so ago. That's mildly interesting. A record got broken. They can put in the Guinness World Records and maybe use it in some pub trivia nights. But it's not unexpected, it's not a portent of the Apocalypse, and it's not worth caring about. At all.

It's just a number, that'll get written into some records for the meteorologists and eggheads to study. Maybe they'll figure out that it's part of a pattern of natural climate change. Maybe they'll figure out that it's part of a pattern of man-made climate change. Who knows? But for now, it's just a monsoonal heatwave, and the only reason it's getting any sort of attention at all is because it reached 42C for a day or two in Sydney and those spoiled babies will cry about anything.

You know they can determine the temperature of the past by ratios of atmospheric gases trapped in glaciers.

Disclaimer: I may not be 100% correct on this. If that's not how they determine it, then it's another way, but I know they can.

I said, "Hi, Greg. I'm the creepy girl." He chuckled, then wanted a handshake and I gave it. I wanted a hug and he gave it. One of his sons was there, too. Cute. Then Pete got him to autograph my sign for me because I was too polite to ask myself since he was on his way to eat. Pete also took this of photo of him holding it. - 8/2/2014.https://twitter.com/PeteParada/statu...56317329436672
Our official webpage: http://offspringunderground.com/

I agree, it's not a portent of the Apocalypse, but again, no credible scientist is saying that it is.

and it's not worth caring about. At all.

Maybe not for you. For someone interested in climatology, this is a milestone that begs for further exploration/study.

It's just a number, that'll get written into some records for the meteorologists and eggheads to study. Maybe they'll figure out that it's part of a pattern of natural climate change. Maybe they'll figure out that it's part of a pattern of man-made climate change. Who knows?

If you don't care about climate change like the "eggheads," then why bother commenting on it in the first place? Obviously people are interested, hence why it's being reported so much.

"I'm sorry
For all the things that I never did
For all the places I never was
For all the people I never stopped
But there was nothing I could do..."

I don't even understand where the point of contention lies in this argument. It's admittedly kind of stupid to point to a single example of extreme heat and say that it "proves" global warming, but Baldwin said he believes global warming is real anyway. He never needed to be persuaded.

Arguing whether a single instance of extreme heat is a "result" of global warming is retarded. Global warming isn't like all of a sudden a giant heater appeared in the atmosphere and warmed everything up from that moment on. It's gradual. The idea is that it increases the possibility of stuff happening like what we're seeing in Australia. I don't really care whether similar heat waves have happened there before, and I don't think it's the slightest bit relevant to a discussion about global warming. Hot weather happens anyway; everyone knew that. You can't attribute it entirely to random historic factors, or to global warming. Global warming is a catalyst, not a cause unto itself.

Global warming is a gradual rise is average worldwide temperatures and can only be distinguished when combined with data representing a very long period of time...which is about the furthest thing you get get from one event in one place.

I said, "Hi, Greg. I'm the creepy girl." He chuckled, then wanted a handshake and I gave it. I wanted a hug and he gave it. One of his sons was there, too. Cute. Then Pete got him to autograph my sign for me because I was too polite to ask myself since he was on his way to eat. Pete also took this of photo of him holding it. - 8/2/2014.https://twitter.com/PeteParada/statu...56317329436672
Our official webpage: http://offspringunderground.com/

GW is not some entity that somehow "causes the earth to warm;" warming is an effect, not a cause or catalyst. That's why it irritates me when people use that weak-ass argument, that "we get hot weather every year, that means that global warming is not notable." Nobody's saying, "it's hot, therefore global warming," so I don't understand why anyone would even use that terrible argument in the first place. The argument is that we're seeing a continuing upward trend in temperatures, with records being broken almost every year, and that this indicates that the earth's average temperature patterns are rising gradually.

"Gradually" being a relative term; in a literal sense it's gradual, but on a geological timescale it's actually rather quickly.

"I'm sorry
For all the things that I never did
For all the places I never was
For all the people I never stopped
But there was nothing I could do..."